1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an interior decorative trim panel having a hidden tear seam to cover and hide an air bag in a motor vehicle.
2. Background Art
A typical interior decorative trim panel or cover used to cover and hide the air bag in a motor vehicle comprises a relatively thin elastic plastic skin, a rigid retainer or substrate, and an intermediate layer of soft plastic foam between the skin and the substrate. In some instances, the foam can be omitted.
Air bags are commonly used in motor vehicles, but may also be used in other types of modes of transportation such as trains and airplanes. Specifically, an air bag is stored in a folded condition in a storage receptacle and then rapidly inflates, as with gas from a gas generator or other type of inflator, when an event indicative of a collision of the vehicle is detected by sensors. The air bag then deploys into a position to absorb the impact of the driver or passenger. The interior trim panel that covers the air bag is typically provided with one or more tear seams to provide at least one or more doors for the air bag to deploy through.
It is desirable that any tear seams, and thereby the presence of the air bag, be hidden from the passengers' view for various reasons. It is also desirable that any tear seams be suitable to resist revealing its presence to the passengers over the lifetime of the vehicle and/or in extremely high temperature conditions.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a trim panel having at least one invisible tear seam that can be relatively easily manufactured and will not be appreciably detected by the passengers over the lifetime of the vehicle.